Leaders of the Mislead
by VctoriaA
Summary: The story begins before the apocalypse happens, focusing on Merle and Daryl. This is my first try writing something here, any comments/suggestions would be awesome. No O.Cs
1. Dreams Only Last For A Night

**Leaders of the Mislead**

**Chapter One: Dreams Only Last For A Night**

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_Dedication Takes A Lifetime, But __**Dreams Only Last For A Night**_

Pounding feet, screaming coming from all directions, and black smoke covering the sky. That's all I was aware of as I ran through the littered street, cars were overturned and bodies lay all over the place. Dodging people left and right, I tried to make my way home, if anything happened to my family I'd regret it for the rest of my life.

Reaching back, I quickly checked to see how many bolts I had left and was dismayed to feel only 4 of my original 12, I'd better start conserving them. With this in mind I swept my eyes down the street I was running through, looking for some sort weapon. Almost anything would do, a baseball bat, shovel, anything! Then I realized where I was, the suburbs, the chances of anything lying around were slim to none. I should have stayed in my area, people always leave shit all over the place, trust me, I tripped over it often enough to know.

I tried getting out of the neighbourhood, but I kept getting lost, on a good day all these houses looked the same, but when the world's gone to shit, even the smallest recognizable features were gone. Normally I pride myself on being able to get from one place to another without getting lost, but my navigation skills seemed to have failed me.

A soft growl snapped me out of my reverie, sharply turning, I saw a puppy. It must have been a present for someone because it still had a big red bow tied around its neck. I took a closer look at the dog, and noticed that it had several small but deep scratches across its muzzle, almost as though it had gotten into a fight with something, and very narrowly won. I called to it softly, hoping to get a closer look at it, but it only tried to intimidate me by deepening its growl and pathetically snarling at me.

Figuring it'd be easier to walk away, I did just that. Metaphorically washing my hands of the pup, I continued my way down the street.

After walking for what felt like hours, I became of aware of how much quieter it had become. No one was screaming, there weren't any sirens blaring nor anyone yelling though a bullhorn.

This part of town was much quieter, there wasn't as much chaos here, probably because this was where the "second class" citizens lived. Up and down the street there were houses looking like they desperately needed a new coat of paint, fences that were leaning one way, if there were any boards left at all. There were toys abandoned in the yards, screen doors swaying, the hinges creaking every time. I still had no idea where I was, but judging by the state of houses, I must be getting closer to home.

As I was silently cursing myself for leaving my house, because whenever I do something bad almost always happens, something shiny caught my eye. Cautiously looking around, I started toward the patch of grass the shiny object was hidden in. If it turned out to be nothing more than a candy wrapper, I'd look like the biggest idiot on the earth, as if I hadn't embarrassed myself in this town enough, that is until I remembered there was no one to look like an idiot in front of.

Kneeling down, I inspected the object that had caught my attention. It was a small knife buried in a mess of leaves and grass, the blade was about 5 inches long and the handle roughly 4. The hilt had a deep emerald jewel embedded in it, and the blackr handle had silver writing engraved on it, and even though it wasn't in English and I wasn't religious, I could guess what _"In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti_" meant. Great, as if the world wasn't messed up enough, now there were religious nuts running around, probably thinking they were on a mission from God, as if they were angels or something.

The small dagger gave me an eerie feeling, maybe because it was hidden so well, someone was planning on coming back to it, there was no way it had fallen and hidden itself so cleverly. Despite the ominous feeling I got from the knife, it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, I opted to hold on to it since it would be a useful weapon.

I should probably try and find my home, maybe it's safer there now-

_Sonofabitch!_

There was a searing pain in my shoulder as something caught hold of me and dug its nails deeper into my muscle. It reminded me of when I used to play with my cat, and it would scratch me accidentally, only this was a thousand times more painful. As whatever clung to my arm, I pulled in the opposite direction, almost dislocating my shoulder in the process. Turning, I saw that it was my neighbour, well, it used to be my neighbour. Now it was just a dead body in a torn summer dress trying to eat me.

I felt another blast of pain, this time in the crook of my elbow. My neighbour had bitten me and it would only be a matter of time before I turned into one those _things._

* * *

**_A.N_**

_**Hey guys, thanks for reading, I'll be posting the second chapter soon.  
**__**I'm probably going to be using song lyrics for Chapter titles, and Chapter One's title is  
Stay Awake (Dreams Only Last for A Night) by All Time Low.**_

_**If you have any comments/suggestions please feel free to post them (:**_


	2. Coffee and Cigarettes

**Leaders of the Mislead**

**Chapter Two: Coffee and Cigarettes**

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_**Coffee and Cigarettes **__Are Best When Shared With You_

_Fuck._ No, I didn't sit up straight, quick as a bolt like they do in the movies, instead I lay in the dark, quietly composing myself and trying to figure out if I had woken up the other occupant in the house. Seeing as there was nothing but silence, it seemed safe to assume that he was still in his drunken stupor, and wouldn't be conscious for a few hours.

Doubting that I'd get much more sleep, I made my way down the hallway to our crappy little kitchen to make some coffee and toast. That's all we ever have in this house, bread, coffee and beer. Whatever happened to bacon, god I could really use some bacon right now. As I sat waiting for the water to boil and the toaster to be done, I began to imagine myself making bacon, I could practically hear the oil popping, and smell the pork being fried.

"Yo, Darlina, you done daydreaming over there?"  
"Fuck you."  
"What's wrong, didn't get all of yer beauty sleep?"

Glaring at him, because no, I hadn't gotten nearly enough sleep between chasing him down and that damned nightmare, I made my coffee and peanutbuttered, that's not even a word is it, my toast. "Maybe if you weren't out chasing girls with boyfriends, I would have slept."

"Hey, no one made you come get me, I was handling myself perfectly fine before you came along, and don't you forget that little brother." Although Merle has many qualities, subtlety is not one of them, and I had the feeling he was talking about much more than that fight I had break up.

"Have you looked in a mirror lately? Cause I think yer black eye would disagree with you," I say smirking slightly.

"You should see the other guy."

"I did, I also saw the girl he was with. Dude, you need to stop picking all these stupid fights." But as always, my words of advice went in one ear and out the other. Rather than waste my breath I continued eating my breakfast and scanned the headlines of the morning paper without any interest.

After noticing how much deeper the bags under my eyes had gotten, Merle asked, with as much concern as he could muster, which admittedly is not much, "Those dreams go away yet?"

"Nope." Wasn't he supposed to be hungover? Why couldn't he just leave me alone with this pathetic excuse for coffee and go bug someone else?

"What happens in them, anything good?"

Sighing deeply, I reply "The dead come back to life and try eating everyone," hoping that he'll take the hint and drop it. After a beat or so of silence, Merle starts laughing.

"You're kidding right? Please tell me yer joking, little brother you've been watching too many bad movies. "

"Whatever," I mutter, pushing past him roughly. "I'm going out."

"Okay, make sure the dead don't try an eat ya," he cautions, barely containing his laughter. Just before the door slams behind me I whisper "Asshole" just loud enough for Merle to hear me.

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Song: Coffee and Cigarettes - Never Shout Never!


	3. If It Means A Lot To You

**Leaders of the Mislead**

**Chapter Three: If It Means A Lot To You**

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Silence.

That's all that surrounds me while I move through the woods. Here I'm away from the mundane stresses of the world, away from the idle chatter everyone feels is so necessary. Everyone should take up hunting, be forced into silence for a few hours, where they can figure out what's truly important in life. But I guess if everyone else did it, it would lose its importance, I wouldn't have my solitude from all those clones.

Its best that everyone sticks to the "modern world" where everything is run by technology, where they don't have to think for themselves because if they did, who knows what would happen, something bad no doubt. Maybe the dead really would walk.

This brings me back to my latest nightmare. They had been happening on and off the last few weeks, always the same, the dead don't stay dead. This one was particularly vivid and lengthy, I don't know why my dream self compared being grabbed to cat, I've never owned a pet, never mind something as small as a cat. If my dad had of bought any kind of animal, it would've been a dog, something that can be used for hunting.

Why was I so concerned about getting back to my family, praying home would be safe? For the past few years, it was just me and Merle, and when my old man was around the house was anything but safe. Unconsciously I begin rubbing the almost invisible mark running across my shoulder blades as I always do when thinking about the past.

A soft rustle of a leaf snaps me back to the present. Spacing out in the wilderness is just about one the stupidest things I can do, all I need is to accidently get shot. Merle would have a field day if I came home injured, there would be no end to that asshole's teasing.

_Thunk. _The sound of one of my arrows embedding itself in a tree keeps my attention focused on the task at hand. Walking over to the trunk, I pull out the bow, and the squirrel from the bow. I should be looking for bigger game, this won't last Merle and I very long, but it'll have to do for now.

I continue deeper into the woods, checking some of my snares as I go, all but 2 are empty. I add the rabbits to my bag, making sure I close it tight. Around 4 I decide to start heading back, I'm running out of the jerky I brought with me and my body's starting to protest being out for long on so little sleep. I started heading back to the house, still not in the mood for Merle's bullshit, but considerably more relaxed than I was when I left.

I started packing everything back into the bed of my blue 1979 Ford F150, taking care not to chip the paint or scratch the seats. To some, it might be a piece of crap, but it _my _piece of crap. That truck was one of the first things I was able to buy with my own money, something that no one else could claim as theirs. When I first got it the engine was wrecked, and everything else needed work but slowly I was fixing it. Every spare moment I had went into that truck, even though Merle constantly laughed at me, telling me I was wasting my time because "that piece of shit has about as much of a chance of working as I do of flying." And now years later it was my baby. Everything ran smoothly and was much more reliable than Merle's bike.

Slamming the tailgate shut I hopped into the cab and started driving, with one hand on the wheel and the other resting on the open window, taking mostly back roads. Not everybody in town appreciates it when I drive down main street with a bunch of dead animals in the truck bed.

When I got something seemed off. Shutting off the engine and grabbing my game and crossbow, I walked up the porch steps and gently nudged the door open with the toe of my boot. "Merle?" I called out into silence. The house seemed almost… dead. I walked into the kitchen where the dishes from breakfast were still on the table. Dropping everything I had in my hands onto a chair, I continued investigating the house. "Merle! This ain't funny! Where are you?"

As I walked past down the hallway and into Merle's room, a pair of hands grabbed me from behind, simultaneously blinding me and cutting off my air.

* * *

Song: If It Means A Lot To You - A Day To Remember


	4. Happy Endings

**Leaders of the Mislead**

**Chapter Four: Happy Endings Are Stories That Haven't Ended**

* * *

Instinctively I tried grabbing my hunting knife that was always on my belt, but whoever was holding me stopped covering my eyes and shoved me against a wall, and locked my arms against my body. As I tried freeing myself from my captor, I suddenly caught a whiff of their breath which smelled distinctly like Jack Daniels. I only know one person who would be drinking at this time of day.

"For fuck's sake Merle, get off me!"

Merle whirled away, laughing so hard he could barely stand up straight. Leaning against the wall for support, he laughed "Little bother, you should have heard yourself! 'Merle? Merle! This ain't funny!' I sure as hell think it's funny!"

"Yer an asshole," I mutter, straightening out my clothes before going back to the kitchen to get the squirrels and rabbits so I could skin them. As if he hadn't annoyed me enough, Merle followed me down the hall.

"What, did ye think I was gonna eat'cha? Sorry baby brother, I'm not dead yet, and besides ye don't look too appetizing. Yer stringy, need more meat on them bones of yers. Like me, I got both muscle and meat, cuz the ladies like a little a both, if ya know what I mean." Merle said slyly, winking suggestively.

"Unfortunately I do know what you mean. How much have ye had to drink? It's not even 7 yet."

"Real men don't count how many drinks they've had. What's for dinner Darlina? I'm starving."

Grabbing a squirrel off the chair, I tossed one at his face, "Here's yer dinner. Enjoy."

"Boy you best stop sassing me," Merle suddenly went from playful to deathly serious, pointing at me with the dead animal swinging from side to side. "Yer lucky I didn't run out on ye like everybody else did. Nobody cares about ye little brother, no one will ever take care of ye like I do. And don't ye forget it."

Sighing I say "If ye say so Merle." Whenever he gets drunk with nowhere to go he always says the same thing, as if he actually helped raise me. His idea of 'helping' was disappearing for days on end leaving nothing but a note that said '_Gone out, be back whenever' _and if I was lucky, there'd be some money underneath.

Collecting the squirrels I went out back to start skinning them with Merle in tow. It seemed as though he'd be my shadow for the night, which might be a good thing, cause he'd get into a lot less trouble that way. We sat back there with fresh beers, me skinning my game and Merle rambling on about some story or another. We didn't eat what I caught, instead we ordered a pizza since I didn't feel like cooking and Merle probably shouldn't be near any fire.

"It's been almost an hour, where's the damn pizza?"

"How the fuck should I know, I've been here with you haven't I?"

"Oh, so yer a comedian now, eh? Think yer such a wise guy. Well wise guy have you met my fists? I think they'd like to met ye."

"Merle, just shut up and wait a bit longer. If it's not here in ten minutes I'll call them, okay?"

"Fine, but it better be here soon, or else I'm gonna eat these here squirrels."

"You do realise that is why I brought them, so we could eat them, right?"

"There ye go again, thinking yer so damn high-larious. Well ye ain't so stop!"

"Whatever," I sigh, looking away, across our yard. For years we lived in a crappy trailer park. But then when I was 18, I got a job at a construction company and after a few years of saving every I bought this little out of the way place for Merle and me. It wasn't much, it looked more like a cottage than a house, but it was home. And as I sat there looking across our sorry excuse for a backyard, I realised there wasn't anything I'd do for my pain in the ass brother.

"I'm gonna go call them again," I say suddenly as I get up.

"'Bout time."

Ignoring Merle I throw open the screen door and find the phone on the counter. I quickly dial the number for the pizza place, and after a few beats of silence, I realise the phone line's dead. "Merle! Did ye remember to pay the phone bill?"

"Course I did! I'm not an idiot!"

"Of course ye aint" I mumble to myself, staring at the dead phone in my hands. "I guess I'll just drive down and see what's going on."

"Better grab some more beer while yer in town. We're running out."

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Happy Endings Are Stories That Haven't Ended Yet - Mayday Parade

No, the story isn't over, but chapter titles can only be so long.  
Hopefully the story is living up to expectations so far, it can only get better from here! ( I hope)


	5. Bite You

_**Leaders of the Mislead**_

_**Chapter Five: Bite You**_

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_Is it the fear in your eyes, or is it your scarlet juice? Who cares baby, I think I wanna __**bite you.**_

Grabbing my keys and jacket, I head out the door and into my truck. Normally I drive in silence, but I felt like I needed some good old rock n' roll to keep myself from going insane. I flicked through the radio stations to find nothing but static, "That's weird," I mumble to myself. "There must be a tower down or something." As I got closer to town I started getting the same feeling I had experienced when I first got home, only this time it was a million times stronger.

There was no one on the street, which was odd because there was always somebody around. Pulling into the parking lot of the pizza place, I took another look around, but this time more carefully. There were people in the apartments above the shops, but there weren't any lights on, the windows were lit up by the light of television screens. What was going on that everybody was inside? This is what I get for living away from everybody and sometimes going months without seeing anyone other than Merle or my co-workers. But this was my vacation week, so my limited social interactions became even more limited.

I walked into the pizza place, and the bell above the door tinkled, announcing my presence. Glancing around, I didn't see anyone, "Hello? Anyone home?" Since nobody answered, I hopped over the counter and walked into the back, where they make the pizzas. "Where is everyone?"

When I got the very back of the room, I stopped, why was this place so deserted? I called like an hour and everything seemed fine then.

That's when I heard someone shuffling towards me, it sounded like how an old person would walk. Turning around, I see Greg, the owner "Hey man, I know we're pretty far out, but it's been almost an hour since I ordered the damn pie, what the fuck's taking so long?" I start walking toward him, stopping about 5 feet from him.

Without answering, Greg shuffled closer, breathing heavily. "You don't look so good, are you alright?" That's when I noticed it, the human sized bite mark in the space between his shoulder and neck. "No, no nononononono," I start saying faster and faster as I back away, almost tripping over my own feet. "Fuck, wake up Daryl! Wake the fuck up, it's not funny anymore, you need to wake up _**now!" **_As I yell the last word, Greg pounced, well more stumbled, on me. I quickly ducked and grabbed my knife in one swift movement. Greg had fallen in a heap against the wall, with his neck bent at an unnatural angle. Crouching, I slowly walked toward him, prepared to defend myself. "Greg… you alive?"

A moan rose from the heap, and Greg started to stand up, with his head hanging off to the side, it was disturbingly obvious that his neck was broken, and yet he was still able to move. While Greg reasserted himself, I got a closer look at him. He was still wearing his worn out jeans, not unlike the ones I was wearing which were worn out because of wear, not design, and he also had on a simple white t-shirt covered in old grease and fresh blood. Now standing on two feet, Greg began to come at me again, this time snarling and gnashing his teeth as he haltingly came closer. If years of hunting had taught me anything, it was patience. I knew I'd have a better advantage if I waited for Greg to come to me, however I didn't think that he'd trip over an uneven tile that would send him flying toward me. As he fell on me, I stuck my knife in front of me, his momentum pushing him deep into my knife. His body soon became dead weight and I fell backwards.

Greg's body slowly grew stiller and I pushed him off me. Brushing myself off and wiping the blood off my blade on his shirt, I looked closer at the wound on his shoulder. Just when my hand brushed against it Greg started snapping at me again.

"Holy fuck! Do these things ever die?" I exclaimed as I propelled myself backwards and against an oven. Remembering some of my past dreams, I threw my knife into his skull. Finally, Greg went down and stayed down.

I leaned back against the oven, breathing heavily. "Never again am I getting pizza for Merle. He can get his own damn food from now own."

* * *

Okay, I'm sorry, I realize that I lied about no O.C's, I should amend it to say "no _major _ ".  
Please forgive me, if anyone is still reading this.

Oh, and if there's any _writing in italics **with a few bolded words,**_those are lyrics that inspired the chapter.

Chapter Five's song is Bite You by Kimmi Smiles, a song I highly recommend to any zombie lovers (:


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